Local Leaders, Advocates Push Back Against ICE Mass Arrests in the South Loop

Bridgette Adu-Wadier | June 5, 2025, 7:35 pm

Immigrant advocates and local officials are pushing back following a face-off Wednesday with federal immigration agents in the South Loop.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, agents reportedly detained at least 10 people after the people were told to check in to a monitoring program administered by the agency.

Tensions escalated as ICE agents were seen pushing some of the immigrant advocates who gathered to protest the actions — with Ald. Anthony Quezada (35th Ward) saying he was thrown to the ground.

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“An ICE officer or HSI [Homeland Security Investigations] agent grabbed me and threw me into the ground,” Quezada said. “I fell into a puddle and got wet. As they continued to make their way into the building, there were multiple altercations in which they were using their batons to push community members. They punched me in the gut area.”

Cynthia Fernandez, an immigration attorney, was also at the area to help a client — a woman who had a scheduled appointment earlier that day but ended up getting arrested by ICE officials. Fernandez said she watched ICE agents push and shove protesters during the clash following the arrests.

“They had a white suburban and were trying to ram it at the crowd,” Fernandez said. “The hostility is something I’ve never seen before. They knew there were aldermembers and attorneys there and they still didn’t care.”

Fernandez is trying to file a petition to keep her client from getting deported. Fernandez said ICE officials told her that her client is still being detained and will likely be deported to Guatemala regardless.

“She’s going to be deported no matter what,” Fernandez said. “She’s lived here for 10 years. It’s devastating to know it’s a done deal.”

The incident has sent shockwaves through immigrant communities as advocates say the people arrested were following the rule of law. It is also happening at a time when ICE arrests are ramping up across the country. The agency reportedly made more than 2,200 arrests Wednesday, the most in its history in a single day.

Quezada said there needs to be a thorough investigation into what happened to help provide more trust and transparency between the community and police.

“We knew that this was an ICE operation, that there were federal agents,” Quezada said. “HSI was on the scene. We were wondering why Chicago police officers were there when we have sanctuary laws, when we have the TRUST Act. When police officers were there, why were they in the building while an active operation was taking place? I’m not saying that there was any foul activity, but we need to have answers because the perception from the community, from the residents that were there, from the advocates, was that there was collaboration.”

The Chicago City Council’s Latino Caucus in a statement said the individuals were tricked and lured into their arrests, emphasizing that they were following the legal immigration process and showing up for their scheduled appointments.

“We stand united in calling for a full investigation into the conduct of ICE agents involved in this operation and for the immediate release of all individuals detained under these unlawful circumstances,” the statement said. “The Immigrant and Refugee Rights Committee will convene a hearing to examine the extent of ICE’s misconduct and determine whether the Chicago Police Department played any role in today’s actions.”